Shawnee man faces explosive device charge

A Shawnee man is formally charged with possession of an explosive device in connection with an incident that occurred last year.

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By Kim Morava

The Shawnee News-Star

By Kim Morava

Posted Jan. 19, 2014 at 9:00 AM

By Kim Morava
Posted Jan. 19, 2014 at 9:00 AM

A Shawnee man is formally charged with possession of an explosive device in connection with an incident that occurred last year.

Joshua Glen Weatherly, 34, is charged in Pottawatomie County District Court with the single felony count.

He is accused of having in his possession an explosive device with knowledge that it could be used to unlawfully kill, injure or intimidate any person, or damage property, charges allege.

The incident allegedly occurred March 3, 2013. The explosive device was found in a vehicle parked a Shawnee convenience store that day.

After some tense moments, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Bomb Squad retrieved and deactivated the small pipe bomb; no injuries were reported.

According to an arrest affidavit filed with these charges, a woman picked Weatherly up at this residence that day and gave him a ride to the Shawnee Kmart. When he was dropped off there, he reportedly left a bag in the woman’s vehicle.

When she stopped at the convenience store at Harrison and MacArthur Streets, she observed a long tube wrapped in black tape with a green fuse sticking out of it, with the warrant indicating in appear to be a type of pipe bomb.

The woman called Shawnee police and firefighters to that scene. When fire crews arrived, the woman was “holding the pipe bomb and shaking.”

Firefighters placed the items in the middle of the parking lot as the area was sealed off and the bomb squad responded.

The device was transported to the Shawnee Police Department firing range on Kickapoo Street, where it was deactivated, the report shows.

According to the warrant, the investigation revealed that a witness saw Weatherly remove fireworks from a trashcan and combine them to make that device.

Weatherly, if convicted, could face a fine up to $10,000 or imprisonment for three to 10 years, or both. But because of a former felony conviction on his record, he could face nine years to life in prison, upon conviction.